Globalization And The Metropolis: The Challenges That Asia's Cities Face In The Future

“Globalization and the Metropolis: The Challenges that Asia’s Cities face in the future”

Clarissa A. Barrenechea / Ateneo de Manila University

This paper approaches problems aimed at the theoretical notion of global and world cities and global urban hierarchies. The discussion only focuses on those swelling metropolises in the Asian region and suggests that perhaps there is need to return to old debates about cities in the area of its relationship between urbanization and underdevelopment. This paper also takes into consideration the fact that oversimplified images which hide the diversity of urban development in different countries in Asia and will prove useless if a more theoretically and sociologically-based analysis of comparative urban patterns and processes is used.

Globalization is the catchphrase of today. There is no denying this trend and phenomenon of our times, which no one will easily disprove. This presents a new challenge that must be dealt with. We are not used to seeing borders between states being removed, enabling resources both tangible and intangible, to freely flow from one country to another.

To give a simple everyday illustration of what it could possibly look and sound like would be a Hollywood box-office hit with African actors starring on it shown on a Korean manufactured television set while dining to Italian dishes bought from an American franchise, and in a nearby room a child listens to J-pop music. Sounds simple at first but is actually just a part of it.

People around the globe are more connected to each other than ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available almost everywhere. International travel is more frequent and International communication is commonplace thanks to the advent of the internet and other comforts and advances that technology offers.

Even the term “Globalization" in itself, is in fact, fast becoming the preferred term for describing the current times. Just as the Depression, the Cold War Era, the Space Age, and the Roaring 20's were used to describe particular periods of history; globalization describes the political, economic, and cultural atmosphere of today (D´Souza 1).

What is it really, and why is it being debated? While some people primarily think of it as something synonymous with global business and international trade, in reality it is much more than that. First and foremost, it is not a phenomenon nor is it just some passing trend. At present, it is an international system which extends almost everywhere, shaping the domestic politics and foreign relations of virtually every country, and there is a need to understand why this is so.

What it really means is changing the way things are done at home (Sprague 3). Take for example the import of foreign goods; not only does it affect local manufacturers but it also changes consumer expectations on the quality, price and even the way of life in itself. This can also be seen in the entry of foreign businesses, which, in turn forces local companies to adopt new practices, whether it is in the form of improving corporate governance or at worst, downsizing. Even exporters can change the nation which they chose to export it to, and factories, whether big or small, are slowly replacing rice paddies and other tillable land as farmers turn into production-line workers instead as they become more familiar with the exotic goods they manufacture; Meaning as money courses through the community, the entire rhythm of life is changed (Sprague 3).

Make no mistake though as change can be good. Asia's development over the past half-century is a major example. As former Singapore Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo said, the economic miracle of Asia is largely a result of globalization. But as goods and services flow across borders, ideas and values are also changing; the spread of media and information is raising expectations and customs in both the private and public aspects of life.

Although it cannot be denied that globalization has brought both wealth and development to most parts of the region in the past decade, it has also brought economic crises and as the region approaches another period of rapid growth, the question that is probably on everyone’s mind is, if the world or Asia for that matter is equipped and ready to handle its side effects and if there is really something if at all to worry about?

The region’s concerns about globalization come on several levels (Sprague 3). First, there is the economic side of it. Western economies are no longer willing to absorb Asian exports without getting equal access to its markets and it is through international institutions such the World Trade Organization or the WTO that they are demanding a level playing field. It sounds fair, but many Asians are calling it otherwise. As Stephen Long of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies based in Kuala Lumpur says, it is not about having a level playing field rather it is the size of the players which is important. To illustrate this, he further states that it is big countries with huge corporations, which have all the advantages, whereas smaller countries simply do not have the means to compete. A closely associated concern is that Western initiatives to link trade with the improvement of labor conditions and environmental protection, which in turn could and inevitably destabilize Asia's competitiveness in the world market.

These, on the one hand are the concerns of officials and businessmen. The social activists in turn, point to a different set of problems and say that trade liberalization has boosted only a privileged few. As Martin Khor, director of the Penang-based Third World Network says, “You can’t say that the whole world has benefited" and further supports this by citing U.N. statistics which show that it is only the world’s top five richest countries population which enjoy the 82% increase in export trade. For the Labor activists, it is mostly the ordinary workers who are suffering as competition intensifies and factories go beyond borders. Heads of states meanwhile, see globalization merely as a way to open up markets and attract investment. As G. Rajasekaran of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress states, they have already forgotten the human side of it. Environmentalists meanwhile lament that rich countries' desire for commodities and manufactured goods is destroying and polluting Asia, and is further aggravated by development-obsessed governments and businesses.

Finally, there is the grey area, which includes globalization and how it intervenes in one’s values and culture. While most of that debate is focused on Hollywood movies, McDonald's restaurants or the way that internet

...